Aftermath
by MacSas
Summary: The long awaited sequel to Silence Speaks A Thousand Words! Daisy should be enjoying her happy ever after - but just because things seem perfect, doesn't mean they are.
1. Prolouge

**Aftermath**

_**Author's note**_: _For those that have read __**Silence Speaks A Thousand Words**__, this is the sequel (long awaited I know!) For those that haven't read the previous story – you will need to do so in order to follow parts of this story_.

**Prologue**

Strong rays of sunlight glinted of the simple diamond in her ring. As she tilted her hand this way and that way, she delighted in seeing the rays play through the prisms of the gem.

With a sigh of utter contentment she lowered her hand and gazed out over the scene of celebration before her.

Family and friends were laughing and singing as they ate and drank and enjoyed the day. Celebration was the word for the day it seemed. Celebration of family, of survival and, most of all, of love. It had been a long hard road to get her to this day. Many tears and even more moments of panic. She still looked over her shoulder almost every day to ensure that the dark shadow that had once fallen across her was gone.

As she scanned the crowd of happy people she caught sight of him. Her reason for being here, for being alive, for being happy at all. He was her everything. And she had almost lost him to her own doubts and fears. The past that she had run from was a shared bond for them. Like a warrior in one of those romance books, he had come into her life at the darkest moment but had made her see light through the fog. He had stayed with her through all the drama and uncertainty and was now by her side in life forever.

As she looked at him, warmth spread through her. It started in her side and radiated all around her. In awe at the way simply looking at him could make her feel, she smiled and waved to him as he caught her gaze.

Something in his eyes seemed to speak to her. He hurried to her side. Desperate to be near her she guessed with a smile. As he got closer though she sensed something was not quite right. The eyes that had been gazing at her in adoration now seemed to be cold with fear and worry. Why? As he approached her the warmth in her suddenly came with a pain. Short, sharp and searing her to the bone. She was sure she heard him call her name, as he ran, frantic now to her side.

Her hand that she had been admiring the beautiful stone on now quivered at her side. She felt the warmth seeping from her now, wet and sticky. As she raised her hand she was shocked to see it was now red. Where had that come from? What had happened to her beautiful white dress? As she remained looking down she could see the shiny shoes of her beloved as he finally reached her side, just in time to catch her as she fell.

As she looked into his eyes she knew without a doubt that this would be the last time she looked into those eyes. The last time she would see love shining through them for her and because of her. She reached her hand up and touched his cheek. He was speaking, but she could no longer hear the words. Once again the warmth came and she closed her eyes, so tired.

As her hand dropped from her beloved's cheek the sun's rays once again danced through the prisms of the gem on her finger.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Early morning light drizzled through the lace curtains of the small kitchen window.

Sitting at the table, phone in hand, Luke Duke tried to contain his nerves as much as he tried to calm those of his cousin on the other end of the line.

"Daisy, I'm sure that Bo will understand. Yes, I will tell him that something urgent came up. No, I don't think he will hate you"

After a slight pause, Luke asked the one question that seemed to be on the entire family's mind as of late. "Daisy, is everything okay? I mean, are you okay?"

The only clue to the agitation Luke felt at his cousin's answer was the persistant drumming of his fingers against the tabletop. Each rap of the tips made a hollow echo in the room.

"Okay Daisy," he sighed. "I just want to make sure that you are okay. You've been through alot in the last year you know. You can't just expect to be able to get up and move on as if the attack never happened"

Luke raised his head as Bo walked into the kitchen.

"Okay. Give martin our love. I'm sure we'll see y'all soon"

As Luke hung up the phone a sinking feeling hit him in the put of his stomach. Something wasn't right and his gut knew it. Years of military training had honed instincts that were razor sharp and trusted by most people in the county. He knew better than to ignore the tingle he got at the base of his neck when things didn't seem right. However, he also knew his cousin. As much as he loved her, he had never been able to get past the stubborn wall that she had so effectively built around herself. That wall had only become stronger in the last year following the attack and the subsequent trial. The one bright note had been her marriage to Martin, but Luke still sensed his cousin was hiding inside herself.

"She's not coming is she?"

Luke looked over at his youngest cousin. The poor man looked so dejected, you'd swear someone had just stolen his hound dog. Luke sighed. Bo had been through his own issues with Daisy in the past year as well. The two had once been so close you could have sworn they were siblings rather than cousins. However, stress from Daisy's attack and a subsequent misunderstanding had deeply shaken the bonds the two once shared. While Luke had tried to hold the three of them together, he was smart enough to realise that some wounds had to have alot of time before they healed over. There was no doubting the bonds of love that were still there though, which is why it killed Luke to have to face his cousin nopw with the truth.

"She says something urgent has come up and Martin has had to travel to San Antonio. Something related to a case he's working on"

"Yeah, any reason to not come home and face us"

"Bo ..."

"Oh come on Luke! Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. The lack of calls, the distance in her voice when she does call. Her avoidance of making trips home. It all points to the fact that she is not dealing with things as well as she is trying to convince us she is"

Luke shrugged. "She's married and her husband is her first priority" A weak argument even to his own ears.

"We used to be important to her. And don't tell me that it's the dutiful wife role that's keeping her in Canada. Last time we talked to Marty he was eager for them to come home for a visit. But suddenly, Daisy has an excuse to put it off. I do believe it was something to do with their house being painted?"

Bo paused and looked at Luke. "You know as well as I do – if not better – that something is very wrong with her. And I would lay odds on the fact that even Martin doesn't know what's going on either"

"She hasn't asked for our help Bo"

"When was the last time family had to ask?"

Luke laughed. "When it comes to Daisy, we both know that we need to act like we're treading on eggshells. She has to still be traumatised after Lex's attack. And of course I don't believe her when she says she is okay. How could she be? The man stalked her and almost killed her. Her recovery is still fresh. On top of that she has jumped into marriage with a man who faces danger every day he goes to work. She just needs to find her feet again, Bo. Once she does that she will remember the Daisy she used to be and be right back to hounding our doorstep"  
As Luke got up to leave the kitchen, Bo's soft question echoed his own troubled thoughts.

"Are you sure?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Daisy replaced the handset on top of the phone and tried her hardest not to burst into tears. If she allowed the emotion to release then she would be one step closer to picking up the phone and calling Luke back, begging him to come and take her home. Just hearing Luke's voice had made her recall times during her life when he was the voice of reason for her. She couldn't count how many times he had bandaged her up and kissed her cheek to make the pain a little less hard. She had a close relationship with both Bo and Jesse, but if there was one man she knew she could always count on, it was Luke. He would always tell her things would be better, but he would also tell her when she was in the wrong too. It was that kind of steadying force that had ensured that she was able to go out and chase her dreams. All the way to Calgary and the local CSI unit. Of course, Luke had also been the man she called when she needed a place to hide and recover after her bust up with Lex. And when Lex had tracked her down and almost killed her, it was Luke who stood by her side, solemnly and patiently as she tried to come to grips with her new life. She wished she could pick the phone up again and call him. But no.

She had to remain solid. She was married now. Her older cousin couldn't come running to her rescue every time she needed him to. As much as she would have loved to rely on him again like she had always done, she knew that it would be unfair to Martin, and the guilt would heavily weigh on her mind.

She bit her lip and willed the annoying tears away. By the time she tasted blood, her emotions were once again under control.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, she got up and walked out onto the back porch. The sun was slowly making pink tinges on the horizon. She imagined what her cousins would be doing right now. Atlanta was 2 hours ahead, which meant they would be finishing up their supper. The two of them would be sitting around the dinner table regaling their Uncle Jesse with tales of the day. The remains of the meal would be put away, dishes done – after much haggling between her two cousins over whose turn it was to dry – and all three men would then retire to the lounge. Jesse would read the Hazzard Gazette and the boys would watch TV. Daisy could see the scene as clear as if she were there with them. The one thing that stood out to her was how normal the scene was. Normal. Something she missed. She missed knowing what was expected of her. Missed knowing how people around her would react to what she would say or do. Most of all, she just missed being part of the cosy scene that she knew was happening back at the farm.

Blinking back tears again, she instead tried to focus on the positive.

One of the big positives was the home that she and Martin had found in Red Deer County. Nestled between Calgary and Edmonton, the town provide the perfect hideaway for the newly married couple. Settled on 20 acres alongside the Raven River, the ranch house was an older style that reminded her of the farm she grew up on. Trees along the river bank allowed them privacy and also encouraged the wildlife to come to the river. Many times Daisy and Martin had sat on the porch swing outside their bedroom and watched as deer, birds and various waterfowl had grazed alongside the river. Martin had even caught brown trout in the river, much to his delight and Daisy's dismay. She had always hated cleaning fish!

The house itself was a simple square plan with the kitchen and living area at the front and the main bedroom and office at the rear. The biggest attraction was the wraparound porch accessible by French doors in all four rooms. The stone fireplace in the lounge was an added attraction. The walls were all wood and the floors in the main living areas were bare except for the thick throw rugs that Daisy had collected from a local merchant store. The kitchen was a large area with cupboards, work bench, sink and wall oven taking up two walls. A walk in pantry adorned another wall alongside the fridge freezer. In the middle of the kitchen sat an island that doubled as a breakfast area. Close to the remaining wall sat an old oak table with chairs. The bedroom had its own huge bathroom with both spa bath and shower. The office was Martin's sanctity where he caught up on case notes and researched information for current cases. Many times, Daisy had found him sleeping on the leather couch in front of the small fireplace after he'd fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning. He was dedicated to his work almost as much as he was dedicated to her. He loved his work with The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and had transferred to the Red Deer central office after the couple had decided to buy the house. That saved him making a 3 hour round trip to Calgary and ensured he would be home in time for supper most nights.

This home was meant to have been the start of their happy ever after. And as far as Martin knew things were fine. She had ensured that he never had to worry about her. When he woke beside her in the morning her smile was the first thing he saw. She cooked him breakfast, packed his lunch and kissed him goodbye at the door, every morning. He always left knowing how much she loved him and that she would pray for his safe return at night. During her time alone, she had looked up old friends in Calgary, shopped in the local stores, added new touches to the house, and tried to pretend that nothing had ever shaken her world. On good days she could almost convince herself that Lex had never come into her life and left a huge scar that marked her soul as well as her throat and her right side. His knife had intended to kill her yet she had survived. Some days though she felt his damage had been much worse. She had been left alive without the ability to return to what was normal. Gone was the tough talking, no nonsense CSI who was confident in her abilities. Now she jumped at little sounds, could not be alone at night and often had meltdowns over silly things like what to cook for dinner. Stuck between two lives, one gone the other yet to be taken, she realised that she was suffering from post traumatic stress and that it would take a long time to recover. Yet she was impatient. She didn't want to be the person she was and yet she couldn't seem to make herself move toward doing what she needed to do to get her life back. In the meantime she suffered in silence.

As she walked back into the kitchen, she passed a huge photo of herself and Martin on their wedding day. Just looking at the love in his eyes and the arms that held her protected on that day sent a rush of love running through her.

However, she also felt a sense of panic. Martin had stood by her through all the surgeries and the rehab. He had always made sure that she knew she had his full support and that he loved her no matter what. He had been so dedicated and attentive that the nurses had been happily envious of her.

As she went to the fridge and took out the items she needed for the night's meal, she realised that half the problem was Martin's attentiveness. She couldn't stumble without his instant help or concern. The more she dwelt on it, the more she wondered if that well meaning attention was part of the block that was preventing her from moving on. Was he worried that if she found her feet again she would no longer need him?

He had only really known her during tumultuous times; times when she needed to lean on him and have him provide the protection and assistance she had to be assured of in order to survive. And he had proven to be a solid rock in those times of trouble. There was no one else that she would have rather had in the position that Martin had taken. As an officer of the law he was trained to defend and protect. But what if she no longer needed to be defended or protected? If they had met before she had been involved with Lex, would they have even dated let alone fall in love and wed? Before Lex, Daisy had been so self assured she had scoffed at the idea of needing a man so much that she would marry. When she made the life long commitment to Martin, her friends had done a great deal of gentle ribbing about the change of tune she had sounded.

With that in mind, she now had to face some tough questions. What if all they had was based on the fact that she had simply needed him? Could her marriage survive her need for independence?

The enjoyment of cooking supper was now gone as a new blanket of depression wrapped itself around her shoulders. She sat at the table and put her head in her hands. In that moment she realised two things. That she had no idea how to answer those questions. And that things may have been simpler if Lex had finished the job.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Martin Kent rolled his shoulders in an attempt to dislodge the annoying ache that had made its home there over the last few months.

He signed the last of the case notes he's been working on and returned them to the thick folder in front of him. It seemed he was always tense these days, and he knew it had nothing to do with his job. As much as it pained him, things in his life were not as simple as he had hoped they would become. His job had always been intense and because of the odd hours and sometimes secrecy, he had found it hard to maintain a steady relationship. Many of his friends happily referred to him as the last of the great heartbreakers. He was never short of a body to warm his bed, but he would never commit to one woman. Mainly because most of the woman he had known just never understood his job. Really. What woman wanted to compete with serial killers, drug dealers and petty crime? Because he was dedicated to his job he refused to allow himself to settle down. Better to be fancy free than to watch the woman he loved get worn down by the worry and impatience with the job. Many cop marriages didn't last and those that did were because the cop had been lucky enough to find a strong woman. Martin had seen many of his friends end up in court arguing over the rights of property or children with their wives. The heartbreak was just not worth it. So he had decided to be the non committal type.

Until he met Daisy Duke.

He had been put in charge of her case because he had been the lead investigator in the arrest of Lex's drug partner. When word got out that a CSI had been dating the drug dealer and had been attacked by him, it created a buzz around the Calgary office. How could the woman have not known what Lex did for his money? Could any woman be so blind? Why did it take a beating at the hands of both Lex and his partner to make her see the light? She was a trained professional. So the consensus was that she knew about it all along and was now trying to claim innocence. It had been Martin's job to find out the truth. He joined his partner Clark Jannetty to interview her in San Antonio, where the woman was in hiding courtesy of a Texas Ranger that she knew well. The cynical side of Martin wondered how well she knew the Ranger. And that cynical side also tended to agree with those in law enforcement who found it hard to believe that she could have been in the dark about her boyfriend. That cynical side even wondered how much money she made from her boyfriends deals, after all she must have used her power with the courts to help him stay out of jail. Surely.

That cynical side had suddenly caved in when he looked into her eyes for the first time.

She had been standing at the foot of the stairs inside the hall of the Rangers home and seemed to look right into his soul, assessing if she could trust him or not. As he looked at her face and saw the still fresh injuries from the beating she had taken, at once he felt a need to protect her, defend her, and slay all her monsters. Like most cops, he loathed a man who beat on a woman just for the power trip. Looking back now, he knew that he had fallen in love with her right at that moment. There had been no turning back for him from then on. He had made it his mission to prove her innocence, protect her from Lex and ensure she safely got home to her cousins. Somewhere along the way, she also fell for him. Despite all the horror she had been through, she seemed willing to take a chance with him. And, even better, she understood his job. They didn't have a lot in common – she was very country, he was very city – but despite the 12 years age difference between them, they found a common ground that enabled them to love. He ensured that she got home to her cousins safely, but couldn't stop Lex from catching her unawares and almost killing her. He would never forget the day he received the call telling him that she had been rushed to hospital in critical condition with stab wounds to her neck and side. He paced the floor along with her cousins for hours waiting for the surgery to be over. The long hours spent at her bedside following the surgery had given him time to reflect on what was really important in life. No matter what happened, he wanted this woman by his side forever. And as he spent long days helping her attend rehab and get her life back together his feelings only grew. Although they split up for a while due to her insecurities, she came back to him and he proposed. Their wedding had been a small intimate affair that was full of laugh and love. It was supposed to have been their happy ever after.

But now it seemed like they had swapped one trial for another. Now that things had calmed down in their lives, Martin had hoped that they would get to live a normal life. However, every day he could feel Daisy pulling further away from him and closing in on herself. He knew that things were not as well as she projected them to be. He knew she barely slept more than a few hours a night. He often felt her leave his arms and their bed in the middle of the night. On one occasion he had followed her to offer support, and had been heartbroken when he saw that she was sitting by the fireplace in the living area rocking herself, biting her lip to stop the sobs from escaping. Why he didn't go to her and hold her, he still didn't know. But there was a stance to her that screamed that she wanted to be left alone. So instead he went back to their bed by himself. Almost every night had played out the same. He had hoped that she would get over the nightly sessions, but he knew that she hadn't. Just this morning he had once again followed her to her spot and watched as she had once again sat and rocked, tears streaming down her face, her lips compressed to hold in the sobs. This time he noticed that she held one of their wedding pictures in her hands. And an impending sense of doom had settled in the pit of his gut. Was she second guessing their marriage? Did she want to leave him? He hated to think of the possible answers.

A glance at his desk clock told him he still had an hour before leaving for the day. Something in him wanted to be home now though. He got up from his chair, grabbed his jacket and left his office, closing the door firmly behind him. A couple of his co-workers looked up, surprised to see him leaving early.

"Everything all right, Kent?"

Martin nodded to his fellow officer. "Just want to surprise the wife tonight"

The other officer gave him a knowing smile as Martin left the front office area.

Traffic was fairly light as he started the trip home. Again his thoughts churned regarding his situation with Daisy. Surely he hadn't waited for the perfect woman this long to only discover that she no longer needed or wanted him? Fate could not be that cruel. After everything the two of them had battled through, there had to be a space for them to be able to just be a regular couple. People fell in love, got marries and lived happily enough all the time. Why should it be so hard for him and Daisy?

He thumped the steering wheel in frustration.

As a cop he knew that to find answers all he had to do was dig. As a husband he realised that he would now have to do the same. He would have to start asking questions that Daisy may not want to answer, nor be ready to answer. But he had to know. He had to know if there was a chance for them or if the struggle was all for nothing.

As he turned into the drive of their dream home he nursed a ray of hope in his heart that finally things could be normal.

Daisy raised her head, hearing the approach of a vehicle. She turned her head and checked the wall clock. She had been sitting thinking for a while, but it was too early for Martin to be home yet.

But the heavy footfalls on the porch were unmistakably those of her husband's. She had spent many nights sitting up waiting for him to return home after a call out. A product of that was being able to recognise her man's footsteps anywhere.

She hurried to the front hall just in time to see him walk through the door. As she stood watching him hang up his jacket she couldn't help but recall the number of times she had been at the door to greet him in other ways. Sometimes she would greet him in a sexy nightgown; sometimes she would greet him in nothing but a dressing gown. And then there were times that she simply ran the length of the hall and jumped into his arms. Now she simply stood there and watched him, aching to run to him and feel his arms around her, yet rooted to the spot by her own fears.

As Martin turned to her she looked into his eyes and those fears doubled.

"We need to talk" he said simply.

Numbly, she nodded and moved to the kitchen to make coffee.

It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Placing the coffee cup in the table in front of her, Daisy sat back and sighed.

Martin continued to gaze at her with the same cool look he has been using for the last ten minutes.

When he announced that they needed to talk, she had thought he was referring to his upcoming trip to San Antonio. She knew that he had been working alongside a Texas Ranger who was trying to tie together the last loose ends of a drug bust over there that seemed to have connections to Lex and his former partner. The Ranger had called Martin and asked if he would mind helping him with his enquiries. Martin had agreed. Now the Ranger needed him to visit San Antonio for a few days to finish the case up. When he did, all those loose ends Lex had left behind would be in a tidy bundle ready to go into the court records as another drug dealer and his life of crime. The only loose end that Lex would truly leave would be Daisy herself. She knew that Martin was keen to help finish off what he had helped start nearly two years prior. It would be something like closure for him. However, she also knew that he worried about leaving her alone for any period of time. Truth be known, Daisy didn't want to face time apart from him either. She dreaded being alone with her thoughts and memories. Especially at night. With Martin beside her in bed she could at least hope for sleep. Despite her inability to sleep through an entire night, against the strength of his body she felt safe and warm. Without him there to hold her at night, she was sure she would suffer.

She had assumed that he would simply ask her to accompany him to San Antonio. And she had quietly been looking forward to returning to her favourite Texan town. She had fond memories there and many friends she could spend time with while Martin was doing what he needed to do with the Rangers.

So it was a surprise when Martin had started their conversation with a blunt question.

"Are you happy with me Daisy?"

She had automatically replied, "Of course"

Her answer didn't seem to convince him though, and he had sat there with that look ever since.

"Marty, what's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing"

Daisy shrugged.

"Okay" Martin sighed. "I love you, Daisy. I love you to distraction. I know why I married you. I know I don't want to be without you. But, i get the feeling that you don't feel the same"

Daisy's smile wobbled a little. "Of course I love you ..."

"Do you really? If I left you today, would you die of loneliness? Cause, Baby, I would if you left me"

His words hung in the air as she blinked back tears.

"I love you, Marty. I don't want or need anyone but you. I don't know why you would think otherwise" she gave a shaky laugh. "I mean, seriously, where would you get such an idea?"

"From you, Baby"

"What!?"

Martin leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and looked deep into her eyes.

"I know you don't sleep much at night, I feel you leave my arms. I know that you spend your sleepless moments in here crying, making sure I don't see or hear your sobs. I know there is a lot going on inside you that you don't share with me. I also know that you have been avoiding your family since we moved here. And I see you distancing yourself slowly from me too. When we moved here it was supposed to be a fresh start for us. I knew things would be difficult, but I expected that my wife would talk to me, involve me in things that she felt or experienced, rather than bottling things up and treating me like a stranger. I can't stand to see the woman I love disappearing from me a little more each day" He moved forward a little more and grab Daisy's hands. "I'm losing my wife right in front of my eyes"

Tears streamed down Daisy's cheeks as Martin laid his soul bare. She had no idea that he had been keeping note of the little things that she thought she was doing so well to keep hidden. She shouldn't have been surprised though. Keen observation was one of the many things that made him so excellent at his job.

"So, I have come up with an idea" he continued, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "I leave for San Antonio tomorrow night. I was going to ask that you come with me. However, I think it would be best if you were to go to your cousins"

Before she could interrupt, he held a finger to her lips.

"We have been in each other's back pockets due to necessity for nearly 2 years, yet we have only been married for six months. It was out of necessity that we were thrown together. And once that danger was gone we stuck together. But we have to ask ourselves if it was habit or something more that made us stay together. I love you so much; I want to know that that love in given back to me in kind. I don't want you to feel that you are bound to me by some sense of gratitude. I want you to spend some time at your cousins, living life as you would have before you met me. And I want you to think about whether you want that life, or the life you could have with me by your side"

Daisy knew that what he said was what she herself had been wrestling with. But rather than admit that he was right, she got mad that he could so calmly sit there and announce that he had decided what to do. And because she was worried that he could be right, she hit out at him.

"What are you trying to do Marty? Are you trying to tell me to go home and stay home? Have you decided you can't be bothered with me anymore? Am i too much trouble? Is this your way of ending us?"

Martin knew that Daisy was speaking from fear and anxiety. Rather than get angry back, he simply stood and walked to the hall door.

"No" he whispered as he looked back at her. "I'm trying to save what we do have"

* * *

In the office, Martin picked up the phone and made one of the hardest phone calls he had ever made.

As he waited for Luke to answer, he also listened to Daisy walk from the living area to the doorway of the office. Without looking behind him, he knew that she saw he was on the phone. He could also tell that she must have guessed who he was calling by the way that she abruptly turned and walked away. A piece of his heart went with her. He would do anything to be able to hang the phone up and go after. To hold her in his arms and assure her that things would be fine; that they would find a way through this just as they had found a way through the danger Lex had posed. Yet, he knew that he couldn't. He knew that Daisy had to stand on her feet again without him, and when she learned to do that again, he hoped that she would come back to him. He was simply doing what that old saying encouraged: If you love someone set them free, if they come back it was meant to be.

The slamming of the bedroom door bought him back to the situation at hand.

Luke's voice came across the line.

"Martin. How are things?"

"Could be a lot better Luke, truth be known"

"Oh?"

"I have to go to San Antonio for a few days. I want Daisy to spend that time with you and Bo. Can you collect her from the airport?"

"Of course"

Luke listened while Martin gave him the flight details.

"Martin, what's going on?"

Trust Luke to get right to the heart of things, Martin smiled. Ever since he had met the older former Marine, he had developed a firm friendship with him. The fact that Martin was in love with Daisy had helped start that friendship. What made it endure was the fact that Luke saw Martin go above and beyond the call of duty when it had come to her safety. If anyone could reach Daisy now, Martin knew it would be Luke.

"We need to have a little time apart to assess our relationship"

"Ok" Luke drawled. "What does Daisy think about that?"  
Martin laughed. "She thinks I want out of our marriage and that this is my nice guy way of getting that."

Martin sighed. "Luke I love that girl with every fibre of my being. But I'm starting to have doubts about what she really feels."

"Your worried it's just gratitude right?"  
"Yeah"  
"Well, if you want my opinion, I think the two of you should stick together and sort it out. But on the other hand, you have been pushed together by forces outside your control. Maybe your right and hse only feels gratitude. How will you handle that?"

"I really don't want to think about that"

Luke laughed gently.

"I will collect her from the airport and try to get inside her head for you. And I will pray that she sees sense and realises that she has a genuine hero who wants to do nothing but love her"

Martin smiled and joked, "What more could she want?"

"Indeed"

After a few more minutes of catching up, Martin said goodbye and disconnected the call.

He was sure he was doing the right thing, but his heart ached like never before.

Exhausted by the nights events, he slipped into the bedroom and changed into pyjama bottoms. Glancing at the bed he noticed that daisy was already asleep, or feigning it more like it.

With a heavy heart, Martin turned toward the office and prepared to spend the night on the couch there.

It was just as he was drifting off to sleep that he realised that this was the first time he and Daisy had spent a night apart since their marriage.


End file.
